In Session » Roger Byrgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics
Tennessee PoliticsMon, 07 Apr 2014 14:51:50 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Campfield says blog post protected by First Amendmenthttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2010/campfield-says-blog-post-protected-by-first-amendment/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2010/campfield-says-blog-post-protected-by-first-amendment/#commentsMon, 19 Apr 2010 16:45:28 +0000Chas Siskhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/?p=10118Attorneys for state Rep. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, say in a filing this morning that statements he made on his blog regarding a Democrat running for the legislature in a nearby district were protected by the First Amendment because Campfield did not know they were false at the time they were posted.

The filing in Circuit Court in Jacksboro formally lays out a line of argument that Campfield and his lawyers have been using in response to a libel complaint made by Democratic candidate Roger Byrge over a post on the Camp4u blog in October 2008. Campfield wrote that Byrge had been arrested multiple times on drug charges. Byrge sued for $750,000.

The filing says that Campfield did not know the charges were not true and took the post down as soon as he learned that they were not. Campfield says he got the information from House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada, who has said he doesn’t recall whether he discussed Byrge with Campfield.

Campfield’s attorneys as a judge to dismiss Byrge’s case because Campfield was trying to raise valid questions about a person running for public office. They also say the charges were against Byrge’s son — who shares the same first and last names and was living with the candidate at the time of the arrests.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2010/campfield-says-blog-post-protected-by-first-amendment/feed/0Casada doesn’t deny he told Campfield of Democrat drug rumorshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2009/casada-doesnt-deny-he-told-campfield-of-dems-alleged-drug-arrests/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2009/casada-doesnt-deny-he-told-campfield-of-dems-alleged-drug-arrests/#commentsWed, 29 Apr 2009 14:46:27 +0000Colby Sledgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/?p=3123House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada just finds more ways to get his office mixed up in courts. An AP story has Casada saying he maybe-probably-I-don’t-remember-but-yes-I was the source of a rumor that Democrat Roger Byrge had been arrested multiple times on drug offenses.

Byrge’s attorney David Dunaway said Tuesday that Campfield’s lawyer informed him that Casada was the source of the information posted on the blog.

“The issue becomes accountability in politics,” Dunaway said. “This election resulted in the control of the House of Representatives.”

Republicans in November gained a 50-49 advantage in the General Assembly’s lower chamber.

Casada, of Franklin, said he doesn’t remember telling Campfield anything about Byrge, who denies having any drug arrests.

“He mentioned back at Christmas about the lawsuit, and that he’d heard it from me,” Casada said. “And I said, ‘Well, I don’t remember telling you.’”

“But if he says it, I must have said it,” Casada said. “But I sure don’t remember it.”

Casada aide Scott Gilmer was convicted on a misdemeanor charge earlier this year for setting up Web sites in the name of former Democrat Rep. Nathan Vaughn, who lost his race to Republican Rep. Tony Shipley by 322 votes. Vaughn is suing the Tennessee Ethics Commission after the commission dismissed his complaint against Casada and House Majority Leader Jason Mumpower.